This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Hybrid vehicles may operate in an electric only drive configuration, in which an electric motor provides the drive torque to a transmission to power the vehicle, or may alternatively operate in a hybrid drive configuration, in which either the electric motor and/or an internal combustion engine may be engaged to provide the drive torque to the transmission. When operating in the electric only drive configuration, the internal combustion engine must be disconnected from the electric motor and the transmission so that the electric motor does not transfer torque to the internal combustion engine. When operating in the hybrid drive configuration, the electric motor and the internal combustion engine may be coupled together and/or coupled to the transmission to transmit torque therebetween.
The transmission includes a gearbox that provides a plurality of different gear ratios used to alter a speed and/or torque output from the transmission to the drive wheels of the vehicle. Manual transmissions are more efficient than automatic transmissions due to the energy loss associated with a torque converter of the automatic transmissions. Accordingly, a hybrid vehicle utilizing a manual transmission may be more fuel efficient than the same hybrid vehicle utilizing an automatic transmission. However, the manual transmission, when positioned in a drive gear, is rotationally fixed to the torque providing source, e.g., the internal combustion engine. As noted above, when operating in the hybrid drive configuration, the internal combustion engine must be disconnected from the electric motor and the transmission.